Spindle for centrifugal machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SPINDLE FOR CENTRIEUGAL MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed Dec. '27, 1921.

Application filed August 6, 1919. Serial No. 815,682.

T o-all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PHILIP T. SHARPLES, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Davids, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Spindles for Centrifugal Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is designed primarily to provide improved means for suspending and revolving the bowls of centrifugal machines and particularly to provide, between the spindle and bowl, a flexible coupling of simple character that will permit the revolving bowl to gyrate or follow its natural course without deflecting or straining the spindle, that will permit the use of a comparatively short and stifl' spindle with th minimum difliculty in manufacture and use, that will minimize the objectionable efiects due to the machine or its parts being out of true or unbalanced, and that will avoid the disadvantages resulting from the use-of the familiar long and limber spindle heretofore adopted for the purposes of permitting the gyratory or natural movements of bowls from whatever cause and thus avoiding strain. wear and binding action. y

In the accompan 'ng drawings, Figure 1 is a broken vertica sectional view of apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2" X of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view'ta-ken on the line 3*3" of Fig. 1.

In the mechanism shown, by way of illustrating an embodiment of the invention, a spindle 1 is provided with and suspended by the top bearing 2 which is engaged on the pliable bearing 3 held in the cap 4 on the driving wheel or pulley 5, the latter being carried and journaled on the stationary supporting means 6 by the antifriction bearings 7 i A hearing 8, fixed to the bottom of the spindle 1, is provided with a spherical top surface 9 and the depending part 9', and a bowl 10 is provided with a hollow stubspindle 11 connected with this bearing by the coupling 12 and the pin or studs 13. .The coupling 12 is provided with the aperture 14 and the inwardly drawn flange 15, through which the spindle 1 passes freely so as to permit the universal movement of this flang on the surface 9, and with the female thread 16 which screws on the male thread 17 of the part 11, The studs 13, fixed in or to the part 9, are disposed loosely in the diamet- I rically disposed sockets 18, permitting the bowl a limited universal movement relatively to the spindle.

These connections between the spindle and the bowl provide for suspending and revolving the latter positively while permitting it a limited gyratory movement and the capacity to adjust its position automatically in operation.

A bearing 20, supported in the stub-spindl 11 by the spring 21 seated in this spindle. is pressed by the spring against the bottom of the part 9, supplementing the action of gravity in maintaining the desired engagement of the part 15 with the surface 9, as well as acting to restrain the movement of the bowl relatively to the spindle. In operation, the suspended spindle 1, revolved by the wheel 5. revolves the suspended bowl 10 through the friction between the parts 9 and 15, and the engagement of the studs 13 with the stub-spindle 11. As the flexible coupling provides a universal joint between the parts 1 andlO, each is permitted a limited departure from its correct position with relation to the vertical and the bowl is provided with means supplemental to gravity for restraining the movement of the bowl relatively to the spindle.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a suspended spin- (lle and a bowl, of flexible coupling means for suspending said bowl from and revolving it by said spindle, said means adapted for permitting said bowl a limited universal movement and for restraining said universal movement, and a resilient device adapted to exert pressure in opposite directions on said spindle and bowl longitudinally thereof.

2. The combination of a suspended spindle and a centrifugal bowl, of flexible coupling means for suspending said bowl from and revolving it by said spindle, said coupling means permitting said bowl to move universally and comprising a resilient device acting longitudinally with relation to th axis of revolution for restraining said umversal movement.

3. The combination with a suspended spindle and a centrifugal bowl, of flexible coupling means comprising a curved bearing .nember fixed to one of said parts, a bearing member detachably connected with the other of said parts and engaging said curved bearing member in universally movable re- -versally movable engagement with said curved surface and a detachable engagement with said stub-spindle, and means comprising a device connecting said members whereby said spindle is adapted to revolve said bowl positively and a spring adapted to act in opposite directions onsaid bearing member and stub-spindle to restrain said universal movement.

Signed at West Chester, in the county of Chester and State of Pennsylvania, this 31st day of July, 1919. I

P. T. SHARPLES. 

